Home
by dg19
Summary: Sequel to Fool for Love and Everything Changes.  Bridget returns to Tulsa with Melody and must confront everything that she'd been avoiding since leaving her hometown.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay y'all. Here is the third, and maybe final, installment in the Bridget/Tim series. I'm very sorry if the 2nd one was disappointing, but I already had this one semi-planned out. Everything will be taken care of in this one. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders.**

Chapter 1

"Are you sure you have everything?" Charles Matthews asked his daughter as Greg was putting the last of the bags in the car.

"Yes, Dad. I'm positive. Everything is in the car," Bridget said.

"And how 'bout you baby girl? Do you have everything you need?" he asked his granddaughter.

"Yes, Bapa," Melody said.

He picked the little girl up and kissed her forehead. "You make sure you take care of your mommy."

"I will." He kissed her again and put her down. She ran over to her grandmother. "I miss you Grammy."

"I'll miss you, too." Susan bent down to kiss her on the cheek. Then Melody went over to her Uncle Travis and her Aunt Sarah. They both kissed her goodbye.

"Melly, honey, get in the car so Greg can buckle you in," Bridget told her daughter.

She ran to the car and into Greg's arms. Bridget looked at her dad, before going over to him and hugging him. "You call us as soon as you get there," he said.

"I will. Don't worry." He kissed her forehead and she moved onto Susan. Then she moved to Sarah and Travis.

"You better take care of my niece," Travis said.

"She's my daughter if you forgot, so of course I will." She hugged him and pulled away. She and Travis had started getting along shortly after Melody was born. It wasn't to the point where they were best friends, but they could at least tolerate each other now.

She went over to Bella and Maria. "I'll see you two soon."

"Yeah, you make sure you have room for us at that house."

"Of course there will be." She gave them each a hug and then went over to the car. "I'll talk to you all later," she said and then climbed in the passenger side of Greg's Mustang. Greg climbed in the driver's side and started the engine.

"Ready?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "Yes." He shifted the car into drive and pulled out of the driveway. She looked out the side mirror to see her family waving behind her.

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"Hey, Bridget. Bridget, wake up," Greg said, trying to shake her awake, while still keeping his eyes on the road. "Bridget, c'mon. We're there."

She slowly opened her eyes and sat up straighter. She looked around and saw the sign looming towards them.

_NOW ENTERING_

_TULSA, OKLAHOMA_

She was a little nervous. She hadn't been back to Tulsa now for almost four years. She was unsure of how things would go. Of course, she'd been keeping in touch with the whole gang, but seeing them all in person was another story. And now, she'd actually have to tell them she had a daughter.

"Bee...Bee." She looked over at her driving companion. "You gonna tell me the directions to his house or what?"

"Sorry. Um, turn left at the lights." When he had done that, she said, "Keep going straight until you reach the intersection." She looked at all of their surroundings. Everything looked just as she had remembered it. "Turn right, and it should be the third house on the right."

Greg pulled the Mustang up to a white house. It wasn't in as bad of shape as the ones around it, but it wasn't exactly like the one she'd been living in in California. She climbed out of the car and stood looking at it for a moment. Then she turned to get Melody out of her car seat.

As Greg went around to the trunk to get things, the door to the house opened. A man came out onto the porch. "Bumble Bee!" he yelled, coming down the stairs.

"Soda!" she yelled back, smiling, and ran to him. She jumped into his arms and hugged him tight. "You look great."

"Yeah right. You're the one that looks great. God, girl, you been working out?" he said, jokingly.

"Yeah, well lifting my daughter up and down is a really great work out for the arms."

He laughed and kissed her cheek. "So where is that daughter of yours?"

"Uncle Soda!" Melody called running up the front walk. She knew who he was due to the phone calls between Bridget and him, and the pictures that her mother had shown her.

"Melly!" he said, lifting the little girl in his arms. "You been takin' care of Mommy like I told you to?"

"Yup."

"Has she been a good girl?"

"Mhm, 'cept when she gets mad at Uncle Travis. Then she says bad words," she said, whispering the last part.

"Well, we're gonna have to punish her, aren't we?" Melly nodded. "Hm, we'll have to think of something." He put her down and then looked over at the car.

"Whoa. Who's car?"

"Mine," Greg said, coming up to greet him. Soda looked at Bridget, unsure of whom this was.

"Sodapop, this is Greg."

"Right, I knew that. Nice to finally meet you," Soda said, reaching out his hand. Greg took it.

"You too."

"Really nice car, man. For a second, I thought y'all were socs."

"Well, we kinda are," Bee said. "Our families aren't exactly poor."

"Steve's gonna flip when he sees that. 1967 Mustang, right?"

"Yeah. I got it my senior year of high school. Works really good. Haven't had to get anything fixed yet."

"Tuff. Mind if I take a look?"

"Not at all." Soda went over to look under its hood. Greg moved closer to Bridget. "Is he always like that?"

"Afraid so. He fixes cars for a living. Loves everything about them." She turned to her daughter. "Honey, sit on the steps while we get everything out of the car. Don't move."

"O'tay Mommy," Melody said and did as she was told.

Greg and Bridget went over to the trunk and took out some of their things. "Soda, babe, come over and help please," she said.

Soda just smiled his happy-go-lucky smile. "Oh yeah." He closed the hood and went around to the back.

They each grabbed enough bags to only make one trip and then headed inside. "C'mon hun." Melody followed.

"Where do you want us to put this stuff?" Greg asked.

"Your room is the third one on the right and the girls' is the last one at the end of the hall." Soda had gotten his own place about a year ago, so there was plenty of room for his visitors.

They each went their separate ways to put things away. Soda followed Bridget and Melody to their room and sat down on the bed with Melly. "Where's Bella and Maria? I thought they were comin' with you," Soda said.

"Yeah, they were, but Bella's gotta finish up her finals and Maria got suckered into working one more week. They'll probably be here sometime next week."

They all fell silent and Bridget went back to unpacking. "Pony's real excited to see you," Soda said.

"I can't wait to see him either. I missed them all so much."

"They all missed you, too. When you plannin' to make an appearance over there?"

"I don't know. I really wanna go visit my mom and Two-Bit before dealing with the rest of the gang."

"When you tellin' Tim?"

She looked at him, smiling uneasily. "Bee, you gotta tell him."

"I know, it's just that I'm afraid of how he'll react. How would you react if your ex-girlfriend showed up with a kid four years later, yours nonetheless?"

"I'd freak out."

"Soda!" she whined. He smiled sheepishly.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," Melody chimed in.

"Okay, we'll go get some food. Soda?"

"To the Dingo," he said.

She laughed. "Let's go."

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All four of them walked into the diner and sat down in one of the red booths. Bridget looked around. "I can't believe this place hasn't changed a bit."

"You got that right. Even the management and waitresses are the same," Soda said pointing to a blond waitress coming over.

"No shit," she said.

"Mommy!" Melody said horrified. The two men laughed.

"Sorry, honey. No way."

"Can I take your order?" Sylvia said, popping her gum.

Bridget looked up. "Bridget, you're back," she said bitterly.

"Yeah, I am. Hi Sylvia. How you doin'? I heard you and Dal broke up for good this time."

"We're not over until I saw we are."

"Oh, well, does he know that, because last time I talked to him, he seemed pretty happy seeing some other girl."

"What? Who?"

"I don't know. I just know there was someone."

Soda glared at Bee, telling her to stop. She rolled her eyes and gave in. "Um, could we have a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke. Then I need a kid's meal chicken nugget," she said.

Soda and Greg ordered the same as Bee.

"So you got a kid now, huh?" Sylvia said.

"Yeah," Bee said suspiciously.

"Looks nothing like ya. Thank god." Bridget glared at her. "I'll be right back with those drinks."

"Great," Bee said sarcastically when she was gone.

"What?" Greg asked.

"Everyone's gonna know I'm back with a kid."

"Sylvia ain't exactly one for secrets," Soda continued.

"Tim's gonna know before I even get a chance to talk to him."

"Don't worry. Everything'll work out," Soda said reassuringly.

She smiled weakly at him.

In a bit, Sylvia brought back their food and drinks and they ate. When they were done, they left her a very small tip.

They walked back to the house, and Greg carried a sleeping Melody up to the bedroom. He followed suit and disappeared into his room, tired from all the driving, after saying goodnight to Soda and Bridget.

Both changed into their pajamas and met back in the living room. Soda sat on one side of the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table, with Bridget next to him, leaning against his body with his arm around her shoulders.

"So ya datin' him?" Soda asked.

"Who? Greg?" Soda nodded. "Nah, we're just friends. I did try dating this one guy, Dean, for a couple weeks. But it didn't work out."

"Why not?"

"I couldn't get Tim off my mind," she said quietly. He kissed the top of her head.

"You still love him?"

"Mhm. It's part of the reason I came back. I really want him back. I haven't been able to stop thinking about him."

"It'll all work out for you two. Might take a little longer than you expected, but it'll all work itself out in time. You two were made for one another."

She smiled and moved closer to him. He pulled her tighter. "Thanks for letting us stay here."

"Any time, Bumble Bee. Any time."

After awhile, he could hear her slow, steady breathing and he knew she had fallen asleep. He reached over, shut the lamp, and closed his eyes until morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning, Bridget was woken by the sun's rays coming through the living room window. She opened her eyes and looked at the clock hanging on the wall: 7:00. She stood up, careful not to wake Soda, and stretched before going into the kitchen to fix a pot of coffee. She had never been much of a coffee drinker before moving to her dad's, but he got her hooked.

She poured herself a cup and took a sip, smiling as the hot liquid made its way down her throat. She put it down and opened the refrigerator to see what she could make for breakfast. She took out the eggs and jam. The jam she placed on the table; the eggs she cracked into a frying pan and started scrambling. Then she went through the cabinets looking for bread. After finding it, she placed pieces into the toaster until she had enough for the four of them. When everything was cooked, she placed it on four plates and put them on the table. She went to the fridge to get the juice.

"Mommy," Melody said as Bee was putting the last glass of juice on the table.

"In here, honey." Melody was standing in the doorway, smiling. "Come sit and eat." She climbed onto a chair and sat on her knees so she could reach the table. Bridget sat down beside her and started eating.

Shortly after, she heard movement in the living room. A moment later, a yawning Soda came into the kitchen. "Man, you two are early risers," he said, kissing them both on the cheek.

"Well, I'm used to being up early now. Melly never sleeps long." Melly smiled guiltily. Soda grinned and sat down next to her.

"Greg still sleeping?"

"Yup. Unlike us, he's a late sleeper. We'll have to go wake him up after we're done eating," Bee said to her daughter, who smiled with a mouthful. Both Bridget and Soda laughed.

"You visiting your mom today?"

"Yeah, let's see how they handle my homecoming."

"Two-Bit's gonna flip."

"Probably, but if he didn't, then he wouldn't be Two-Bit now, would he?"

"I guess not."

"Okay, honey, as soon as I do the dishes, we'll go get ready and visit Nana and Uncle."

"Don't worry 'bout the dishes. I'll do 'em," Soda said.

"You sure?"

"Go get ready."

"Alright," she said smiling. "C'mon Mel." They both got up and headed upstairs, stopping at Greg's door. Bridget opened it and motioned to Melody to go in.

She ran and jumped on the bed, yelling, "Greg, Greg! Wake up! It's morning!"

He rolled over onto is back and pulled the little girl down on top of him. "What're you doin' up so early?" he said.

"Eating. Mommy made food."

"Oh, is that right? I didn't know Mommy could cook." Bridget stuck her tongue out at him.

"There's scrambled eggs and toast on the table. Me and her are gonna go visit my mom and Two-Bit."

"You want me to come?"

"No, I think I gotta do this on my own. Walk around town if you want. Just be careful. I don't know what people will take you as."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

She nodded. "Can you watch her for, like, ten minutes, so I can go shower?"

"Yeah, it's about time. You were starting to smell." She made a face at him and walked out, going to the bathroom to shower.

When done, she dried off and put her bathrobe on. She went back to Greg's room to get Melody. "Okay, c'mon hun. Bath time."

They walked into the bathroom and Bridget turned on the water. Melody undressed and climbed in. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get your toys."

Bridget went back to their room and grabbed a few bath toys, as well as her makeup bag, hairbrush, and toothbrush.

She went into the bathroom and put the toys in the tub with her daughter. Then she went over to the sink to brush her teeth. She brushed her hair and clipped it back. Then she went on to do her makeup.

"Alright, huh, time to finish up." She pulled the plug on the drain and switched the shower on so Melody could rinse off. She turned the water off and held out a towel for her. She then picked up the dripping girl and went back to their room.

Bridget placed her on the bed and went over to the bureau, taking out underwear, red tights, a jean skirt, and a red long-sleeved shirt. She got her daughter dressed and her hair done in braids before going to work on herself.

She took out a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt, putting them on, before slipping on her socks and shoes. She put Melody's Mary Jane's on and they went downstairs.

"We're off," Bridget said to the two guys.

"Okay. Good luck," Soda said.

"Thanks, I'm gonna need it."

"Bye Uncle Soda and Greg," Melody said.

"Bye sweetie."

They stepped outside and Bridget took Melody's hand. Her old house wasn't that far away, just a few blocks. They began walking.

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When they reached the house, they stood outside on the sidewalk for a moment, all the nervousness returning to Bridget.

"C'mon Mommy," Melody said after a while. She smiled at her daughter's eagerness. They walked up the steps and Bridget knocked on the door.

"Keith, can you get that?" she heard from inside. Good, Bridget thought, her mother was home.

Two-Bit was mumbling to himself as he opened the door. "Bridget!" he said shocked and pulled her into a bear hug.

"Hey Two-Bit. Can we come in?" she said, grinning.

He laughed. "Of course," he said, ushering them inside. "Who's the kid? I knew you always liked 'em, but that's no reason to be stealing 'em off the street," he joked.

"Two-Bit, this is your niece, Melody."

His jaw dropped. "My, my what?"

"Your niece," she said more unsurely.

"You had a kid and didn't tell me!" he yelled angrily, finally over his initial shock.

"Please calm down and let me explain."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Keith, c'mon!"

"You got knocked up and didn't let anyone know!"

"Mom wouldn't let me!" she yelled back, finally getting angry.

"What?"

She took a deep breath, calming herself down. "That's why I moved to Dad's. Me and Tim got a little careless and I got pregnant. Mom didn't want me to tell anyone. She made me break up with Tim and shipped me off to Dad's on the next train there."

"Whoa," he said, sinking down onto the couch.

"I know," she said, sitting next to him. Mel sat in the armchair across from them.

"Why didn't you tell me anyway?"

"I didn't want you to hate Mom for sending me away. You were all she had left."

He sighed and pulled his sister into a tight hug. When he pulled away, he looked over at his niece. "Should've known she was a Shepard. Look at her."

"I know. She looks just like him."

"Come over here," he said to Melody. She went over and he lifted her onto his lap. "So I guess I'm your Uncle Two-Bit."

"I know," she said.

"How do you know?"

"Mommy showed me pictures." He looked over at Bridget and she shrugged.

"Keith, what was all the yelling about?" Mrs. Matthews asked, coming into the living room. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Hi Mom," Bridget said.

"B-Bridget, what are you doing here?"

"I came for a visit. Thought you might like to meet your granddaughter."

The older woman's eyes fell on the youngest one. "Hi Nana," she said.

"What's your name, sweetie?" she asked.

"Melody Jane Shepard."

Mrs. Matthews looked at her daughter. Bridget averted her eyes.

"How could you not tell me?" Two-Bit said calmly and seriously.

"Honey, Nana's got some chocolate chip cookies on the table. Why don't you go get one."

"Okay." Melody got off her uncle's lap and disappeared.

"Now, Keith…"

"No, don't 'Keith' me! How could you not let her tell me?" he said, getting angry.

"It wasn't the right time. I didn't have time to help her raise a baby, and I knew her and Timothy couldn't raise her."

"But how could you not tell me! This is my sister and niece we're talking about!"

"If others knew, it would've been harder for her to leave."

"Actually, other people did know," Bridget chimed in. Her family looked at her. "I told Soda before I left and he told Pony a few months after."

"I told you not to tell anyone!" her mother yelled.

"I couldn't not tell anyone! It was hard enough lying to Two-Bit and Tim. I couldn't lie to Soda too. He's my best friend. I had to tell him if I couldn't tell the others."

Her mother shook her head. "I can't believe you disobeyed me."

"Mom, I wouldn't have had to disobey you if you hadn't decided to ship me off to be someone else's burden! If you would've just let me stay, this conversation wouldn't be happening right now!"

Mrs. Matthews placed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes. "Bridget, I only did what I thought was right." 

"But that wasn't necessarily right for me. As much as I enjoyed Dad's, I much rather would've been here with you guys, the gang…Tim."

The older woman pulled her to her in an embrace. "I'm glad you're home, darling."

Bridget smiled and leaned into her mother. "And Keith, I'm sorry for not telling you." She opened one of her arms, welcoming him to join in. He was reluctant at first, but soon gave in.

"Ain't this one hell of a family reunion," he mumbled. The others laughed.

"Mommy, can I come back in yet?" a frightened Melody asked from the doorway.

"Of course, honey. Come here." She ran to her mother's arms and Bee lifted her up.

"How 'bout we all go have some milk and cookies?" the eldest said. The rest smiled and they went into the kitchen. They sat down at the table in front of a plate of cookies and glasses of milk.

"So how old are you, Melody?" Mrs. Matthews asked.

"Tree," she answered, dipping her cookie into the milk.

"Three? Wow, you're getting old. Pretty soon you'll be in school."

Melody looked at her mother. "I not that old, right, Mommy?" she said in a knowing tone.

"Right babe." Two-Bit laughed at the look on his niece's face. She smiled, proud of herself.

"So where are you staying?"

"Soda's. My friend, Greg, came with us, so he's staying in a room there, too."

"Are you seeing this, _friend_?"

Bridget shook her head quickly. "We're just friends. Two of my other friends were supposed to come, but they had things to do, so they'll be here next week."

"Lemme guess. Bella and Maria?" Two-Bit said. His sister nodded.

"How do you know her friends' names?" their mother asked.

"We kept in touch."

"Yeah, we wrote letters and talked on the phone."

"Which is why I'm surprised you've been able to keep this daughter of yours a secret from me for so long."

"Guess I just got used to it. After a while, I didn't have to remind myself not to bring her up. It just sorta registered who I could and couldn't talk to after awhile."

"Are you back for good?"

"I don't know. I haven't really decided. I still have some stuff back at Dad's."

"What'll make you change your mind?"

"Um, I guess it depends how everything goes here."

"Oh, everything here will go fine. You better call those friends and tell 'em to bring the rest of your stuff."

Bridget laughed. "Easier said than done. I gotta wait for everyone's reaction before I decide."

"They'll all be…Oh," he said, realization dawning on him. "Tim?"

She nodded slowly. "Tim."

"He'll get used to it. It'll take him some time, but he'll eventually get used to the idea of being a father," their mother piped in.

"I hope so."

"Why don't you two stay for dinner?" her mother said, changing the subject. "I'm sure Greg and Soda can manage on their own."

"All right. I just gotta call them and let them know."

"Go ahead. You know where the phone is, right? Or have you forgotten in the years being away?" Two-Bit joked.

"I think I can manage to find it," Bee said, smiling. It felt good to be joking around with her brother again. She just hoped she'd be here for it to continue.

She walked out to the hall and called Soda from the phone, which was right where she remembered it being.

"Hey Soda," she said when he answered. "We won't be home for a while. We're staying for dinner." She was silent as she waited for his response. "Okay, see you later." She hung up and went back to the kitchen.

"So what're we havin'?" Two-Bit asked.

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After a meal of chicken and potatoes, and much conversation, it was time for Bridget and Melody to return to Soda's. The youngest had already been sleeping in her mother's arms while they were in the living room talking.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride? Keith can drive you," Mrs. Matthews was saying.

"No, I can manage."

"You sure? You never know who's going to be out on the streets at this time."

"I'm sure. We'll be fine," Bridget assured her worried mother. "You're coming to Soda's in the morning, right?"

"I'll be there," Two-Bit said. "Dal's gonna blow when he sees you with a kid."

She laughed. "I know. Darry, too."

"See ya, sis." He kissed her cheek and then Melody's head.

"Bye Big Brother. Good bye, Mom."

"Bye sweetie." She kissed both girls on the head, and, with that, they left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Here's a real update. I'm real sorry that I wasn't able to update sooner. School has started, as of yesterday, and I've passed in my Truman assignments already (even though I didn't finish \ Oh well who cares. Truman is a stupid book.) So I hope you like this chapter and I'm really hoping to update sooner than before.**

Chapter 3

"Hello, anyone up yet?" Two-Bit yelled as he walked into Soda's house. Just like at Darry's, the door was always unlocked. No one was anywhere that he could see. Not in the living room or the kitchen, so he headed upstairs. He looked in any rooms that were up there, looking for his slumbering sister.

He found her at the end of the hall, up to her neck in blankets. A smile appeared on his face as he crept up to the bed. "Bridg—"

He was cut off. "Shh, Uncle. Mommy sleeping." He looked at the floor and found Melody playing quietly at the foot of the bed.

"What're you doing?" he asked quietly.

"Playing."

"I see that. How come you're not with Greg or Soda?"

"Uncle Soda went to work and Greg went out."

Two-Bit frowned. "C'mon, let's go downstairs so we don't wake Mommy." He lifted her and her toys, and they went downstairs, softly closing the bedroom door on their way out.

He put her down on the couch. "Did you eat yet?"

She nodded. "Uncle Soda fed me."

"Okay good…You wanna watch tv?" She shrugged. "Well, I'm gonna introduce you to the greatest show ever made." He turned the tv on and flipped to the channel.

"What is it?"

"Mickey Mouse."

"Who?"

"See that black and white mouse on the screen?" he asked, pointing. "_That's_ Mickey Mouse."

Soon they were bonding like they'd known each other since she was born. She loved Mickey. She was becoming just like her uncle the longer she spent with him.

"Melody?" they heard Bridget call, coming downstairs.

"In here," Two-Bit called back. She came into the living room looking frantic.

"There you are," she said relieved. "I didn't know where you were."

"Sorry 'bout that. My fault. I went in to wake you up and I found her playing on the floor, telling me to be quiet. So I brought her down here so she could get acquainted with Mickey." Bridget's eyes moved to the television screen. "So how come you slept so late? I thought you were an early riser."

"Usually I am, but Melody ended up waking up after we got home and decided not to fall back to sleep until 3:30 this morning. I finally fell asleep 'round four."

"You've had a total of…" He glanced at the clock. "…six hours of sleep."

"Oh boy, ain't I lucky?" She sat down beside Two-Bit.

He put an arm around her shoulders. "So going to see the gang today?"

"I suppose. Are they only all together for dinner?"

"Um, pretty much. But we could always go surprise Pony at school, or Darry at work, or Dallas at Buck's."

"Uh, Buck's probably ain't the best place for a three-year-old."

"I guess you're right, but we could knock on the door and ask him to come out and such."

"Yeah, I guess. But I think we should go see Pony at school first, since he's the last one who knows. He'll downright have a fit if the gang sees me and Mel before him."

"Alright, you go get ready. I'll help Melody. Then 'round noon, we'll go pick up Pony at school, and go to the Dingo for lunch. That gives us enough time for him to at least see you two."

"Okay, but one question." He looked at his sister. "Do you know _how_ to dress a girl?" He threw one of the couch pillows at her as she raced out of the room, laughing.

"You'll help me, right?" Two-Bit asked Melody.

"Right," she said.

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"Uncle!" Melody said, grinning as Two-Bit held up a white, multicolored polka-dot skirt and a striped shirt.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"That don't go." Two-Bit sighed and put them down. This dressing thing was a lot harder than he had thought.

"Why don't you show me what does go?" he said, giving up attempting to do it himself.

She got up and went over to her clothes. She grabbed the skirt and a yellow t-shirt. "You sure that goes?" he asked. She nodded. "See, I was close. I had the skirt."

"Uncle," she said smiling.

He smiled back. "Let's get you changed."

Next came the hair. Two-Bit was clueless about this, too. Melody brushed it and it was his job to keep it out of her face. What he _was_ doing was putting knots in it. Not his fault he didn't know what he was doing. He had never had to do Bridget's hair when they were younger; Mrs. Curtis or their mother usually had.

In the end, he finally got it on top of her head in a bun, hair going every which way. It was fine to him, so he told her she was done. She went over and looked in the mirror. "Uncle."

"What?" he asked, exasperated.

"What you do?"

"I put it up so it's outta your face. Isn't that what Mommy said to do?"

She laughed. "Yes," she said, drawing out the word.

"Why you little…" He ran over and lifted her up. He dropped her on the bed and started tickling her. She giggled. He started laughing as she tried to get away from him.

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"Well, what do we got here?" Bridget said, leaning against the doorframe, looking in at her brother and her daughter.

"Mommy, look," Melody said, standing up and showing off her outfit.

"Uncle didn't pick that out, did he?" Melly shook her head, grinning.

"I helped a little," Two-Bit said in his defense. "I picked out the skirt." Bridget looked over at the youngest. She nodded in agreement.

"Well, Uncle is good for something. And what did he do to your hair?"

"He put it up."

"It's a mess."

"I did the best I could. It's not everyday I'm doin' girls' hair."

"Yeah, usually you're just doin' them," Bridget said with a big grin on her face. Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow.

"Little ears," he said, covering his own.

Bee laughed. "C'mon, I'm starved."

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They stood outside of the high school, leaning against Two-Bit's hunk of metal that he called a car, waiting for Pony to appear through the doors. When he did, he stopped on the top step, eyes moving, searching for Two-Bit. They lit up and a smile spread across his face when he saw who was with him. He had to force himself to not sprint across the parking lot towards them.

"Bridget!" he yelled.

"Pony!" She ran and jumped into his arms. When they broke apart, she stood back to admire him. He had grown a lot since she'd last seen him. The eighteen-year-old now towered over her by at least a foot and had biceps larger than both her arms put together. His hair was finally back to the reddish-brown that it naturally was and his eyes were bright green. She had to fight to control her laughter as she remembered how he had never liked green eyes. But now they were greener than ever.

He was a mixture between both Darry's and Soda's looks. He was just as movie star handsome as Soda and just as muscular as Darry. He even dressed like the brother that he had resented for those early teen years. But he was still Ponyboy, no matter how much he resembled his older brothers.

"You look great," she said, grinning. "You're a regular James Dean." His ears turned a light pink and he looked down at the ground. He still wasn't good at all the compliments that had been coming his way.

"Thanks. You look just as great as ever."

"Why, thank you."

After a few moments, he eagerly asked, "So where is she?"

"I'm sorry, who?" Bridget said.

"C'mon Bee."

She smiled. "Pony, let me officially introduce you to Melody."

The younger girl came out of the car at the mention of her name and looked at the man standing before her. "Uncle Pony!" she yelled and ran into his arms.

"Hey Mel. Nice to finally talk to you in person." She looked up at him smiling. He kissed the top of her head. "When'd you get here?" he asked Bridget.

"About three days ago."

"You stayin' with Soda?"

She nodded. "How'd you know?"

"Well, Soda's been a lot more happy-go-lucky than usual, so I figured something was up."

"There you go again, putting that brain of yours to work," Bridget said, ruffling his hair.

"Bridget!" he whined. She laughed. She knew that he had probably spent a good deal of his time this morning—as well as about half his jar of hair grease—to get it just right. He was worse than a girl when it came to his hair.

"C'mon, I'm hungry," Two-Bit said.

They climbed into the car and headed towards the Dingo. "So Pony, all the girls fallin' all over you?" Bridget asked, smiling. Man, did his ears get red. "I knew it," she said, her smile becoming even bigger. "Who could resist that writer/track star charm of yours?"

"I could think of one person," Two-Bit said.

"Shut up," Pony mumbled.

Bridget looked at Pony. "Who is she, Pon?" she asked, a little more serious since she was teasing a bit before.

"No one."

"Oh c'mon Pon, tell me."

"It's just some girl I know. No big deal."

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis. Tell me who it is," Bridget demanded.

"Don't tell her, Ponyboy. She won't stop once she starts."

"Shut up, Keith," she told her brother.

Pony remained silent. "Pony, tell me."

He sighed. "Angela Shepard," he whispered.

"Aww, Pony. That's cute. How come you're not with her? We all know how much she likes you. She's been tryin' to get you to notice her for years."

"Well, she don't like me now. She doesn't pay me any mind."

"How can she not pay you any attention? She was practically in love with you."

"Well, that was years ago. Now she don't even look at me."

"C'mon, Pony. That can't be true. I'm sure she likes you just as much as you like her; she just ain't showin' it as much as she used to anymore. You _are_ older now. Have you tried askin' her out?" He shook his head. "Well, how do you expect her to know how ya feel if you don't make a move?"

"Bee, you know how I am when it comes to girls. I can't do it."

"Of course you can. Any girl would be crazy to turn you down. Just ask her. What's the worst that could happen?"

"She could say no."

"Or even worse than that…she could laugh in your face and then tell all her friends about it."

"Shut up, Two-Bit!" Pony and Bridget said.

"Besides, I couldn't anyway. She's got a boyfriend."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Some guy in Tim's gang."

"How's Tim takin' that?"

"From what I hear, not good," Two-Bit said.

"Then you have a shot, Pon. She's probably just doin' it to make Tim mad."

"And it looks like its workin'."

"See, you'll have her in no time," she said as they pulled into the Dingo and climbed out.

"Yeah right."

"That's the spirit, Pony," Two-Bit said.

She slung her arm across Pony's shoulders while Two-Bit got Melody. They walked inside and grabbed a booth.

After they ordered, they talked a bit more.

"I still can't believe you got a daughter. I mean, I've known all this time, but it's still unbelievable," Pony said.

"I know. It took me a while to get used to it."

"Yeah, because nine months of being a blimp plus three years isn't long enough." She glared at Two-Bit.

"Hey Mommy, there's Greg," Melody said. Bridget looked to where her daughter was pointing and, sure enough, there was Greg, flirting with none other than Sylvia. Looked like Bridget had another Dallas Winston on her hands. What was with her guys and Sylvia? It wasn't like she was anything special. As long as he didn't do anything more, she could handle it.

"Greg!" Melody said loudly. He looked over and then excused himself from Sylvia. He walked over smiling at Mel.

"Hey," he said.

"Sylvia?" Bridget questioned.

He looked guilty. "Yeah, about that. She's….well, look at her. I'll stop if you want me to."

"I can't control who you can and can't talk to. Just…be careful with her."

"Don't worry."

Greg eyed the two boys with Mel and Bridget. She saw this and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Greg, this is Soda's younger brother, Pony, and my brother, _Keith_." She grinned at her brother.

"Call me Two-Bit," he said. Greg nodded.

"You wanna join us?"

"Sure," Greg said and sat down with Two-Bit and Mel.

"Nice to finally meet you," Pony said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Yeah, you too. You're the one who likes to read and write."

"That's me."

"And you're the clown," he said to Two-Bit.

"Yup. Glad to see my reputation precedes me." Pony laughed and Bridget rolled her eyes.

Greg smiled. "I just talked to Bella."

"And…when's she gonna be here?"

"Well, her last final is tomorrow and she said she and Maria would be here by the middle of next week at the latest."

"Yeah, that better be the latest. I can't wait 'til they get here. They gang will love 'em." She looked at Pony. "I think Darry would like Maria, so you're gonna help me set them up."

"Yeah, like she'll like him. All he thinks about is work," Two-Bit said.

"Well, once he meets Maria, he won't be able to resist her."

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Pony said.

"Yeah, how do you know she even wants you to set her up?" Greg asked.

"Puh-leeze. She's just as bad as Dar. They're perfect for one another."

"Well, it's your funeral if he decides to use his muscles on ya," Two-Bit said.

"Yeah, you're on your own if he decides he doesn't like you playin' cupid," Pony said.

She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "What time you gotta be back to school?"

"One, why?"

"Because it's ten of right now."

"Aw, damn, I gotta go. You'll come over for dinner tonight, right?"

"Of course." She kissed him on the cheek and he blushed. She laughed. "I'll see you later, Pony." He got up and went outside.

"I'll be back," Two-Bit said and went to bring Pony back to school, leaving Bridget, Melody, and Greg at the table.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. I'm so, so sorry that it's taken so long for me to update, but I'm so busy. I barely even have time to write anymore. Soccer and school are killing me. I had a half day today, so I had some time to write. I'm hoping you'll like this chapter. There's two more of the gang's reactions. **

**And also I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over again. You agree? If so, got any tips to help with that for the next chapter? I'd appreciate it. **

**Enjoy.**

Chapter 4

Two-Bit returned to the Dingo and sat back down in the booth. "So li'l sis, where next?"

"Well, we can go to the DX and see Steve and Soda," Bridget said.

"Uncle Soda! Uncle Soda!" Melody yelled.

They laughed. "I guess that's a yes."

"Mind if I come?" Greg asked.

"No, of course not, they're gonna be your friends, too. C'mon," Bee said.

They paid the bill and headed out to the parking lot, climbing into Two-Bit's car. They drove over to the DX and Two-Bit pulled up alongside the building. "Wait here," he said.

"Keith, what're you gonna do?" she asked.

"We're gonna surprise ole Stevie."

"You're gonna about give him a heart attack is what ya mean." He grinned sheepishly and walked around the side of the building.

"Hey Stevie," Bridget heard her brother say.

"Hey Two-Bit, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Just meeting some girl I met here. She ran into me the other day and I found her pretty interesting. And she's not even blond!"

"No way, man."

"Yeah, and I think you know her too. You'll have to decide when she gets here, which should be any minute."

Bridget took this as her cue to appear and turned to Greg. "Can you wait here with her for a minute? I don't wanna shock him too much at first," she said smiling.

"Sure, I can do that."

She walked around the building and said, "Hey Two-Bit, I thought you were supposed to meet me at the Dingo. Here I am, walkin' all 'round town…"

"Bridget!" Steve yelled and ran over to her.

"Hey Stevie." He lifted her in his arms and spun her around. "I missed you," she said.

"Aw man, I missed you somethin' awful. What're you doin' back here?"

"Thought I'd come pay y'all a visit. Unless ya want me to go back."

"No!" he said quickly. "Never." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"I have another surprise for you."

"I don't know if I can take anymore surprises today."

"Well, then you're gonna be in for a shocker," Two-Bit said.

Bridget looked unsure as she called over Greg. He came to the front with Melody, hand-in-hand. "Uh, care to explain?" Steve said.

"Well, Steve-o, I'd like ya to meet my niece," the elder Matthews said.

"What?!"

"Um, you see…" Bridget started.

"How could you not tell me you had a kid?! This is something you tell your friends!"

"Relax, she didn't even tell me."

Steve looked at Two-Bit in disbelief. He couldn't believe she hadn't even told her own brother that she was pregnant. This didn't sound like the Bridget he knew. "How could you not tell us?!"

"Chill out and let me explain." Steve closed his eyes and took deep breaths, attempting to calm himself. "You okay now?" she asked when he opened them. He just stared at her. "Okay, well three, I guess almost four years ago now, me and Tim got a little careless. I ended up getting pregnant and when I told my mom, she didn't want me around anymore. She sent me to live with my dad and she didn't want me to tell anyone. Of course I told Soda, and he eventually told Pony, but I couldn't tell any of you. Tim didn't even know, and still doesn't. You'd all overreact. So all the time I've been keeping in touch with you, I just left out the kid stuff. I really needed to come back here and see all of you and introduce you to my daughter. I couldn't stay away anymore."

Steve was quiet for a moment. "You shouldn't have left in the first place."

"I know. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt any of you, but I had to do what my mom wanted."

Steve's gaze softened. He looked over at the youngest. "What's your name?" he asked her.

"Melody."

"That's a pretty name. How'd you end up with that name?"

"Mommy chose it."

"Well, Mommy has good taste, huh?" Melody nodded.

"Where's Uncle Soda?" she asked.

"In back. You wanna go see him?" She nodded.

"I'll take her," Two-Bit said and picked her up. She smiled at her uncle and waved to Steve.

When they'd gone, Steve turned to Greg. "Who're you?"

"Steve, this is Greg. Greg, Steve."

"Nice to meet you," Greg said, reaching out his hand.

Steve didn't take it. "You datin' him?"

"Of course not. We're just friends," Bridget said. He glared at her. "I promise. I met him at school in California. He was one of the misfits along with Bella."

"Oh thanks," Greg said.

"Don't worry. You two fit in much better now. I've taught you well," she said grinning. Steve just stared back and forth from Bridget to Greg, reminiscing about all the banter she and the gang used to do together. She really hadn't changed all that much; she just was a few years older, had a kid, and had new friends. Nothing that wouldn't have happened if she'd been in Tulsa for the past three years. Steve was sure that Tim and Bridget would've messed up sooner or later anyway, so why should it be such a surprise to him now?

He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Good to have you back. Let's go inside."

-------------

After a few hours of hanging out with Steve and Soda at the DX, Bridget decided they had to move on if they were going to get to everybody before nightfall. She promised they'd stop by the Curtis's later that night and left. "Where to next?" Greg asked.

"Let's go see Darry," Bee said.

"And you were worried about me scaring Steve. You're gonna knock Darry right off the roof," Two-Bit teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Mommy, who's Darry?"

"Uncle Soda's and Uncle Pony's brother."

"Oh." Bridget smiled at Melody and turned back to her brother. "He ain't gonna fall off the roof on account of me. Don't worry 'bout it."

"Alright, but you're paying his hospital bill."

They drove over to the house Darry was working at and climbed out. Two-Bit went over to the overseer and asked to see Darrel Curtis.

"What d'ya need him for?" the man asked.

"Well, ya see, this girl right here is his ex-girlfriend. Turns out they got a kid together." Two-Bit pointed to Melody. "Only thing is, he don't know about her."

"Jeez, how'd you end up with a guy like Curtis?"

"I still ask myself that everyday. I think it might've been the muscles he's got. Roofing those houses sure is sexy work," Bridget said, attempting to flirt with the overseer. She was a little rusty at it, but what else was expected when she hadn't exactly been on a date since Tim. Sure, there was Dean, but that went nowhere. She'd had to practice sooner or later. She guessed it was sooner.

The overseer grinned at her and said, "Curtis, get down here!"

"For what?" they heard Darry yell back.

"Matthews is here again!"

"Jesus, Two-Bit, what did I tell ya 'bout comin' to work if it wasn't an emergency," Darry said, climbing down the ladder.

"I thought that this would fall in the emergency category," Two-Bit replied.

"Unless Pony or Soda is really hurt, don't come and seem me a-…" He stopped short when he turned around. "Bridget!"

"Darry!" He scooped her up in his arms and she laughed.

"Man, that seems to be happening a lot lately," Greg said.

"Well, she's like family to every one of 'em. It was hell when she just left like she did," Two-Bit said.

"What're you doin' back here?" Darry asked her, a huge grin on his face.

"Thought I'd came pay a visit to my favorite Curtis brother."

"Flattery ain't gonna work here."

"Fine then. I had some news that I couldn't tell over the phone or through a letter. Plus I was a little homesick."

"Good, you should be after being gone for this long."

"Oh, thanks a lot, Dar."

"So what's this news that brought you all the way back to Tulsa?"

"Well, Darry, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Melody."

"Your what?! When did this happen?!"

Bridget went on to explain the entire story that she had explained to Two-Bit and Steve. She watched Darry's face change expression with each part of the story. By the end, his face looked a bit sadder than usual. He pulled her to him in a bear hug. She leaned into his embrace, happy for another familiar pair of arms. But soon, Darry wasn't letting go. "Hey Superman, you're kinda squishing me," she said teasingly.

He let her go and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, just so glad to see ya."

She smiled back. "I feel the exact same way."

"Hey Curtis, if your _emergency_ is done, get back to work," the overseer said.

"I guess that means I gotta go. Make sure you come by the house for dinner tonight."

"I will. Don't worry. How can I pass up a free meal?"

"I knew living in California wouldn't change ya."

"Of course not. I'll always be the same ole Bridget."

"Good. You stay that way. See ya later." He rushed back over to the ladder and climbed up. He waved when he was safely at the top.

The four others started back for the car. "Mommy, why all these boys happy then mad then happy again?"

Bee laughed. "They haven't seen Mommy in a long time. They missed me and they also didn't know about you."

"More going to be mad?"

"Yes hun. Probably about two more."

"Daddy one of them?"

"Yeah babe. Daddy's one of them. So is Dally."

Melody smiled at the mention of Dally's name. She'd heard a bit about Dallas, just not all the bad stuff, like the swearing, jail time, and girls he'd been through. Melly'd heard of how nice he'd been to Johnny and how kind and gentle he'd been with her mother. She couldn't wait to meet the man in her mother's life that looked like he could be an angel that her Grandma had around the house, with his white blond hair and blue eyes. She only had to wait 'til dinnertime.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. So I've been sticking with the updating once a week. Aren't y'all proud of me? Anyways, I thought this chapter was kinda cute, so I hope y'all like it. I don't know when I'm gonna update next, so I hope this one tides you over for a little while.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders. I only own Bridget and Melody**

Chapter 5

Bridget, Greg, Two-Bit, and Melody hung out at the Matthews's residence until five o'clock, the time Darry, Soda, and Steve would be out of work. They got ready and headed over to the Curtis's house. Pony was the only one there when they arrived. "Hey Pon," Bridget said.

"Hey Bee, hey guys," he said as he lifted Melody into his arms.

"How was the rest of school?"

"Same as usual."

"Which in your case means it was great," Two-Bit said, smiling.

Pony grinned. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

They all sat down in the living room, waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive.

----------

Shortly after, the three working boys came in the door. "Hey guys," Soda said.

"Uncle Soda!" Melody yelled, climbing off Pony's lap and running to Soda.

"Hey sweets. What've you been doin'?"

"Uncle Pony reading to me."

"Oh really, what're you reading?"

"The Doll's House."

"Ooh, and is it good?" She nodded, smiling.

"Why don't you go finish the book and I'll be back when I'm all cleaned up?" She ran back over and jumped into Pony's lap. He laughed. Steve sat down with the rest of them, while Soda went to wash up a bit and Darry went to start supper.

-----------

Dallas walked into the house and saw Melody. "Which one of ya knocked up some broad and didn't tell me?"

"Guilty of being the knocked up broad," Bridget said.

Dallas quickly turned towards the voice and his eyes grew wide with shock. "Holy shit!" he said. Melody's hands went straight to covering her mouth.

"I've been gone forever and this is how you greet me?" Bee said, smiling.

"W-what…w-what're you doin' here?" he asked, still shocked, as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Well, let's see. Where to start?"

"How 'bout you start with the part where you got knocked up and didn't tell anyone? It seems like a pretty big deal to me! But I guess it wasn't to you!" He was finally getting angry.

"It's not what you think, Dal. I swear it's not."

"Yeah, then why don't you explain it?"

"I would if you would just calm down." He glared at her. "Fine. Before I left-"

"You mean before you ditched us."

She gave him a warning glance and continued. "Before I left, me and Tim were messing around and we forgot to be safe. I didn't end up finding out for almost two months, but I told my mom that I was pregnant. She didn't know what to do with me so she decided to send me to my dad's. I wasn't allowed to tell anyone about the baby, not Two-Bit, or you guys, or even Tim. He still doesn't even know. I had to break up with him before I left. I had to convince him that I didn't love him and that I had to leave so I could start over, but it broke my heart seeing how much I was hurting him. I guess it was kinda harsh, but it had to be done. I figured he'd be able to find someone else. I, mean, it is Tim Shepard. And I found out that it worked when I didn't get any letters back from him and the phone call where he told me he had multiple dates. It hurt, but I knew he'd moved on. I hadn't wanted to leave him, but my mom wanted me to. She didn't want me here raising a baby with him. She thought my dad would be able to help me. And, in a way, he did."

Dallas sunk down onto the couch and his mouth fell open, but nothing came out.

"Living with my dad and getting to know him was great. And because of him, I was able to give Melody so much more than we had as kids. Back with my dad, she doesn't have to go through all the things we did. Life is so much different in California. No greasers. I had to get used to being one of the privileged and that's how I started raising Melody."

It was as if she was only speaking to Dallas, but the rest of the gang was listening. She hadn't gone into quite as much detail with them as she was now. No one dared to interrupt her.

"But the entire time I was there, I was homesick. It lessened after a while, but it never completely left. I knew I had—wanted—to come back here. I missed all of you and I had to let all of you know what had happened to drive me away from Tulsa. I needed you to know that I'd never intentionally hurt any of you. I love you all. It was really hard trying to get through life without you. Finally, after three years, I decided that it was time for me to come back, to introduce you to Melody and my friends, and, hopefully, be welcomed to stay if I wanted. But even if it didn't all work out, I just needed you all to know what I'd been hiding for so long."

Still, as she finished, no one spoke. Bridget grew more and more anxious as the silence continued. She was praying to God that Dallas, that anyone would say something to fill the void in the usually rowdy household.

"Well…" Dallas finally said. She looked into his eyes, waiting for him to say something more.

"You sure she's not mine," he said, grinning. Bridget exhaled the breath she was unaware that she'd been holding.

"I'm positive she ain't yours. She don't look nothing like ya," she said.

"Thank god," Two-Bit said. "That'd sure be a downfall."

She threw a pillow at his head, laughing. "Dally's handsome, huh, baby girl?"

Melody nodded and walked over to Dallas. "Are you an angel?" she asked him.

"An angel?" He looked over at Bee.

"You remind her of one the angel figurines my stepmom has around the house."

He turned back to Melody. "No, babe, I ain't no angel. Far from it."

"Dally?"

"Yes?"

"Do you love Mommy?"

"I absolutely love your mommy. She's the best person I know."

Melody grinned and looked back and forth between Dallas and her mother, who were smiling at one another.

"C'mon guys, dinner's ready," Darry yelled from the kitchen.

-------------

Some time after dinner, while Melody slept in Pony's bed, the gang sat around the living room listening while Dallas asked Bridget all kinds of questions.

"Tell me about this school of yours."

"It was a private school. What more is there to tell?"

"Don't forget the uniforms," Pony added.

"Uniforms?" Dallas asked, smiling mischievously. "Still got it?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?" she asked.

"Well, I'm thinkin' you and me could put that to good use."

"Dallas!"

"What? It's not like it's inappropriate. We've done it before."

"That's beside the point. We don't need everyone we know to know about it."

"Believe me, they already knew."

"You're unbelievable."

"I'm also right when I say that ain't the first time you said that to me. Although the first time we were in a more compromising position."

"Dallas!" The rest of the boys started laughing, while Dallas and Bridget just grinned at one another.

The next hour continued like this, Dallas turning something Bridget said into something sexual and the rest of the boys bursting out laughing. After a while, Dallas asked Bridget if she wanted to take a walk.

"I'd love to. Can you just keep an eye on Melody until we get back?"

"Bumble Bee, go. We got it under control," Soda said. She smiled and walked out with Dallas.

When they reached the sidewalk, he put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him, avoiding the coolness of the night's air. "So, what was your dad's really like? No sugar coating please."

"It really wasn't all that bad. At first, I acted like the biggest daddy's girl you'll ever meet. Trying to make up for all those years without him, I guess. My stepmom could be a little frustrating at times, but she became sorta like my mom. Sarah was annoying. Couldn't really help that, but maybe that's how little sisters are. And Travis, well, we shared a mutual dislike for one another. Although, after Melody was born, he was alright. And I did make friends, so I wasn't alone."

"But it was nothing like home."

"Right. I couldn't believe how much I missed you. I thought that writing letters and talking on the phone would lessen the homesickness but it did exactly the opposite. Every time I'd get a letter or a phone call, I'd just miss home even more. And it wasn't even Tulsa that I'd miss. It'd be you guys."

Dallas kissed the top of her head as they continued walking in silence.

"So tell me about these angels?" he said after a while.

She laughed. "Susan had the house covered in them. It seemed like wherever you turned, you'd see an angel staring you down. The irony is, they all looked like you, same blue eyes, same blond hair. But we both know you're the farthest thing from an angel," she said, grinning. "Anyways, once Mel was able to talk and understand certain things, I'd started showing her pictures of you and the gang. As soon as she saw yours, she connected you with all the winged, blond haired, blue eyed figurines she'd seen around the house. She just grew to think of you as one of them."

"Oh jeez."

"She'd actually have me make up stories about you and the rest of the angels."

"You'll have to tell me one."

"Some other time. Anyways, I found them all quite amusing, since, in my mind, I'd see you trying to hit on them instead of helping them or playing nicely."

"Hope you didn't tell her that."

"Of course I didn't. Like I'd want my daughter hearing about your sexual past. Plus, she'd have no idea what I was talking about."

"Let's keep it that way. At least until she's like thirty."

Bridget laughed. "I highly doubt we'll be able to keep it from her that long living around you pigs."

"Ooh, ouch," he said, placing a hand over his heart. She shoved him lightly, giggling. When she went to go back to her previous position, he pushed her away. "That hurt. It hit me right here," he said, hand still over his heart.

"C'mon Dally. It's cold."

"You shoulda brought a jacket."

"I forgot." He shook his head and opened his arms. She put her arms under his jacket and wrapped them around his waist. He covered them both with his jacket.

"You're getting to be more and more like Pony everyday."

She smiled up at him sheepishly. "So, I saw Sylvia a couple days ago, and I kinda told her you were datin' someone else."

"Thanks a lot. Now she ain't gonna leave me alone 'til she finds out who it is." She bit the corner of her lip. "Hope you got a plan."

"Um, should I?" He nodded slowly.

"You're gonna help me get rid of her."

"And what does this help entail?" He grinned mischievously. "Oh great. What did I get myself into?"

"Let's see, you got yourself into daily kisses whenever she's around, maybe besides then. Maybe some extra feel-up action and some 'bedtime.'"

"Very funny. I think you can forget the last two."

"We'll talk about it," he said, their heads getting closer and closer together.

"There will be no talking about it."

"Oh, there will be." Their lips were only about an inch apart.

"Nice try, loverboy," Bridget said and moved away.

"You're such a tease."

She grinned. "C'mon, I'll race ya back," she said and started running.

"Wait up!" he yelled at her retreating back and ran to catch up to her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. Sorry it's taken me so long to update. With soccer, school, and homework, I haven't had any time to write. And for those of you who can manage your time better than I can, I bow down to you. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, but I'm not really sure I like it. I'm actually thinking of rewriting it, but let me know what you think and I'll decided from there.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders, even though I wish I owned Tim and Dallas. ;)**

Chapter 6

"Bridg! You here?" Dallas yelled as he walked into Soda's house.

"Upstairs!" he heard her yell from somewhere above. He went up the stairs and searched the bedrooms for hers. When he found it, she wasn't in it.

"Bridg! Where are you?" he yelled again, walking into the hallway.

"Sorry, I'm in the shower! I'll be out in a sec.!" Dallas went back to her bedroom and sat down on the bed. Might as well get comfortable if he was going to have to wait for her. He lay back on her pillows and closed his eyes. Her bed was more comfy than the couch at Darry's or a bed at Buck's.

"Okay, you're either gonna have to leave or close your eyes or turn around or something," Bridget's voice said, startling Dally. He opened his eyes and saw Bridget standing before him in nothing but a towel. He looked her up and down, watching water droplets gather on her chest. He had to refrain from licking his lips. "Dal…" she said, bringing him back to the present. "Are you gonna leave or not?" He grinned and put his hand over his eyes. "Oh yeah, like that's gonna last. You look and I'll kill you."

"Scout's honor."

"Like you were a boy scout. Ha!"

"Just get dressed."

She eyed him warily, but turned around and took clothes out of the bureau. She slipped her underwear on while she still had her towel wrapped around her. She looked over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't looking before she dropped her towel a little lower to put her bra on. Then she pulled a tank top on over her head and let her towel fall to the floor. She looked over her shoulder again and knew Dallas was peeking. She shook her head while she pulled on her skirt.

"I cannot believe you, Dallas Winston."

"What?" he asked innocently.

"I saw you peeking," she said as she put on a ¾-sleeve white button-up over her tank.

"What're you talking 'bout? I did no such thing."

"Yeah, uh-huh, sure. Whatever you say, Dal." She brushed her hair and looked over at him.

"Yeah, you're right it's whatever I say. You should always listen to me. I know what I'm talking about."

She glared at him and then jumped on him. She 'attacked' him, but before she knew it, she was the one on her back lying on the bed, and Dallas was the one straddling her. "Why couldn't you be ticklish just this once?"

"Because then I'd be the weak one, and that can't happen since that spot's already being fulfilled by you." She mock-glared at him. "So where's that daughter of yours this morning? I would've thought she'd come runnin' in here."

"She slept over Nana's last night, so she's spending the day with Two-Bit."

"Well, ain't that nice? So does this mean you got the day all to yourself?"

"Yeah. Or at least it did until you came over and disturbed my peace."

He dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "You wanna do something today, maybe go to the Nightly Double later?"

"If I say yes, will you get off of me?" He shrugged. "Sure, Dallas, I'd love to spend the day with you." He didn't move. "So, you getting off me or what?"

"I don't know. I kinda like starin' at ya from this position," he said, raising his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"C'mon Dal, you're crushing me."

He gave her a big, wet, sloppy kiss on the lips and quickly climbed off of her. "Ew! Gross! Dallas, get back here!" she yelled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

He gave her a grin like the Cheshire cat and ran out of her room. "Dallas Michael Winston!" she yelled, running after him. She followed him down the stairs and into the living room, where she saw the perfect opportunity to tackle him onto the couch. She now had the upper hand. They were both laughing by this time. "Dallas Winston, your kisses are about as wet and sloppy as a dog's," she said, grinning.

"I only did that to tease ya. Ya know I don't really kiss like that."

"Oh, do I now? I actually don't remember. It was oh so long ago."

"I think maybe it's time I refresh your memory."

"Maybe some other time, cowboy," she said, getting off of him. "I'm getting kinda hungry. How 'bout you?"

"Yeah, I guess I could go for some food…if…"

"If what?" Bee asked suspiciously. He just smiled and raised his eyebrows up and down suggestively. "Jeez, Dallas, is that all you think about?"

"Well, I am a guy."

"Like that's an excuse, you pig."

"Again with the name calling. Jeez woman, didn't your mother ever teach you to be nice?"

She pretended to think about it for a moment. "No, not really," she said, shaking her head. He narrowed his eyes at her and she smiled. "C'mon, I'm starved."

-----------

They walked into the Dingo and looked for an empty booth. "Look who's working?"

"Guess you know what that means," Dallas said, grinning at her.

"Oh no, what have I gotten myself into?"

"I think you've already said that."

"Well, it's still not sinking in," she said as they grabbed a booth towards the back, with Dallas sitting down on the same side of the table as Bridget. "Here she comes."

Sylvia walked over to them, looking a bit saddened. "When you said he was seeing someone else, you neglected to say it was you," she said to Bee.

"Yeah, I guess it slipped my mind."

"Is she yours?" Sylvia asked Dal.

"Is who mine?"

"Her daughter."

"Nah, I'm not really the dad kinda guy."

"Are you sure she's not yours? You two did…_sleep_ together before she left."

"Believe me, she ain't mine. Besides she don't look a thing like me."

Sylvia looked at him doubtfully, but didn't say anything more on the subject. "What can I get ya?" They placed their orders and she walked away.

He draped his arm across the back of the booth and looked over at her. "So when are you gonna start tellin' people that Mel's Tim's?"

"After I tell Tim."

"And when's that gonna be?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I was planning to tell him earlier, but I kept putting it off. I'm afraid of what he'll say."

"You gotta tell him."

"I know. It's just hard to bring myself to do it." He kissed the top of her head and changed the subject.

"So what movie ya think's playin' tonight?"

"Probably some western or a beach movie. That seems to be all that's ever playing 'round here."

Dal laughed. "Actually, they started playin' some thrillers 'bout a year ago."

"Whoa, tryin' to switch it up a bit. Mess with your minds," she said smiling.

"Just think of it this way: the movies will give ya a taste of what you've been missin'."

"Oh boy. I can't wait," she said as Sylvia brought their food over. She eyed both of them warily before walking away.

"You still playin' guitar?"

"Yup," she said, taking a bite of her burger. "Not as much as I used to though. Don't really have much time for it."

"Well, now you got the gang to watch Mel so you can concentrate on it more."

"Yeah, thank god for you guys," she said, a grin appearing on her face.

He elbowed her gently. "Gonna have to write some songs 'bout me."

"I already got songs about you."

"Really? Good or bad?"

"Mixture of both."

"You're gonna have to sing 'em for me some time."

"Sure, maybe this weekend."

"I'm holdin' ya to that."

"I know."

They finished up their food and paid. They left with Sylvia watching them until they were out of sight.

----------

That night, when they arrived at the Nightly Double, Dallas headed for the main entrance. Bridget stopped in her tracks. Dal walked a few more steps before realizing she was no longer with him. "What?" he asked, turning around.

"For old time's sake," she said. He grinned at her and took her hand. He led her around the fence to the back, where the owners had still neglected to fix the hole at the bottom. They slid underneath the fence, with Bridget being extra careful due to her skirt, and headed for the seating area. She sat down in a row near the back and Dally followed suit.

About half way through the movie, Dallas asked, "You want a snack or something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"What do you want?"

"I'll come with you."

"C'mon then. We're gonna miss the movie if you don't hurry up."

"Like you watch the movie," she said smiling. He took her hand and they went in the direction of the concession stand. They were joking and pushing each other around when someone spoke from behind them.

"Hey Winston, who's the new br-."

"Bridge!" Angela yelled when they'd turned around. Curly stood there speechless.

"Hey Angel, Curly-Q," she said.

"W-what're you doin' back here?"

"Came for a visit. I'm actually thinking 'bout moving back."

"Tim's gonna flip his lid when he finds out you're back in Tulsa," Curly said, finally getting his voice back.

"Is he here?" she asked quickly.

"Nah, party at Buck's."

"Of course, what else is new?" Dal said.

"How's he doing?" Bridget asked quietly.

"Well, he's back to being the same old Tim," Curly said.

"He drinks a lot, and he's always in trouble with the cops," Angel elaborated.

"And it seems like he's got a different girl every night," Curly went on. This pained Bridget to no end, but she didn't let it show. She felt Dallas give her hand a squeeze.

"How long's he been like this?"

Angel and Curly looked at one another. "Since a couple months after you left."

Bridget looked down. She felt like crying. It was her fault Tim's life had gone to hell. There was nothing anyone could say to make her think differently.

Dallas glanced at her. We should get back to our seats. We're missin' the best part of the movie," he said.

"Yeah, it was really good to see you again," Angela said to her.

"Yeah, you too."

"See you guys later," Curly said and they walked away.

"You okay?" Dal asked her. She shook her head, still looking down. "C'mon, I'll take you home." He threw an arm around her shoulders and directed them towards the exit.

When they got to Soda's, Greg was there watching tv. "Hey guys," he said. He took a closer look at Bee. "What's wrong?"

"Just ran into some old friends," Dal said. "Could you go pick up Mel at her mom's? I need to talk to Bee."

"Yeah, sure." He kissed the top of Bee's head, grabbed his jacket, and left.

Dal led Bridget over to the couch and sat them down. He lifted her chin only to find tears streaming down her cheeks. He used his thumbs to wipe them away. "C'mon Bee. It's not your fault Tim's life is the way it is."

"Yes it is. If I wouldn't of left, he wouldn't be doing all these things."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. Look at how he was when we were together. He was happy and sober and out of jail. And you heard Angela and Curly. It only started after I left."

"Bridget."

"I shouldn't of left. I should've just told him about the baby and my mom wouldn't have been able to send me away and everything would be perfect."

"Bee…"

"And me and Tim would've raised Mel together and been a real family. And she would've grown up knowing all of you. Tim and I would've gotten married and maybe have had another baby. A boy this time."

"Bridget, you can't think this way."

"Please," she said looking at him with teary eyes. "Please just let me. Just for right now. I need it."

He just pulled her close and let her tears stain his shirt.

-------

About an hour later, Bridget was sleeping on Dallas, while he rubbed her back. The front door opened and closed, leaving Greg and Melody standing in the doorway. "Dally!" the little girl said smiling. He put his finger to his lips, silencing her. "What wrong with Mommy?"

"Mommy's not feeling well."

"She be okay?"

"She'll be fine. Why don't you go get ready for bed with Greg and we'll see you in the morning?"

"'Kay. Night Dally."

"Goodnight babe."

Greg picked her up and carried her up the stairs. Dallas slowly got up and laid Bridget more comfortably on the couch. He went into the kitchen to wait for Greg to come back downstairs.

Greg met Dal in the kitchen and sat down across the table from him. "How long's she been like this?" Dal asked.

"I don't really know. She doesn't really act like that much."

"It's happened before? When she starts thinking about all the 'what ifs'?"

Greg nodded. "It doesn't usually happen and when it does, she's pretty good at hiding it. I think he's on her mind a good deal of the time though."

"So you knew who I was talking 'bout?"

"Of course. She's one of my best friends."

"Yeah, mine too." Dal ran a hand through his hair. "We gotta help her, man. We gotta get her to let go of that world."

"And how do propose we do that?"

"I don't know. But we gotta think of something. We can't let her live her life this way."

Dallas grew silent as he thought of ways to help Bridget stop blaming herself for everything and to keep her out of her alternative reality. He'd figure it out no matter what.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. I hope you know that this doesn't mean that I'm going to be updating this story on a regular basis. I just felt the need to finish this chapter since I'd already started it. I hope you like it. I have ideas for upcoming chapters, but I have no idea when I'll get around to writing them. Please R&R**

Chapter 7

"Mommy, push me," Melody said as she ran to the swings. They were on their way to the Curtis household when the youngest spotted the park. She immediately went over to it.

Bridget walked up behind her daughter and started pushing, moving her daughter and the swing back and forth. "Higher Mommy," Melly said, giggling. Bee laughed. "Higher."

"If you go any higher, you'll be blasted off to the moon." They were both laughing when someone came up behind them.

"Someone like you shouldn't be on this side of town. Never know what could happen."

Bridget froze, afraid it was a soc. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she knew that voice. She turned around quickly. "Tim!" she said, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Bridget," he said, shocked at first before returning to his impassive expression. "Thought you were a soc."

"Well, you thought wrong," she said, jokingly.

"Heard you were in town."

"Yeah, guess I needed another change of scenery." They were both silent.

Melody came and stood beside her mother, looking up at Tim. "Mommy," Mel said, motioning for her mother to come down to her level. She cupped her hands around her ear and whispered, "He looks like the picture of Daddy."

"I know, honey." Bridget looked over at Tim expectantly. When he didn't say anything, she told Melody, "Go back and play."

"Who's the father?"

"I don't know. Why don't you go look in the mirror and tell me."

He was confused, but then it finally sunk in. "She ain't mine," he said.

"What do you mean she's not yours? She looks just like you!"

"She ain't mine."

"Tim, we fucked up! For once you're not invincible! She's your daughter! Where else would she get black hair and blue eyes like that?"

"I don't know. Why don't you go ask whatever other guys you've fucked since leaving?"

"I haven't had sex with anyone but you since I left!"

"Well, go find the guys you fucked before that!"

"How dare you even suggest that I cheated on you! I would never do something like that to you! I love you!"

"_Loved_."

"No, I _love_ you! I wouldn't do that!"

"Yeah, sure babe. You love us until you get what you want. Then you leave. It's a habit for you broads, ain't it? First Soda's girl, then you."

"I am nothing like Sandy! I would never hurt someone I love like that!"

"Yeah, sure. Tell Logan and Dallas that!"

"Don't bring them into this! This is between us: you and me!" He scoffed. "Why can't you just accept that she's yours? Why can't you stop being stubborn for five minutes?"

"She's not mine!"

Bridge sighed, frustrated, and turned around. "C'mon Melly." She picked her up in her arms and walked away.

She promised herself she wouldn't cry. But as she got further and further away and thought more and more about the conversation—more like fight—that she and Tim just had, the tears became uncontrollable, falling furiously down her face.

"Mommy crying?" Melly said, looking at the wet trails on her mother's face.

"Yes, honey, Mommy's crying." Melody wiped at Bridget's tears. "Thanks, hun," she said, smiling weakly as they walked into Soda's.

------------

Soda walked into his house and found Melody in the living room, watching Mickey Mouse. Man, that kid's getting more like Two-Bit everyday, he thought. "Hey Sweets, where's Mommy?" he asked, noticing the emptiness—except for himself and Melody—and the quietness—except for the black and white mouse on tv—of the house.

"Upstairs."

"What's she doin' up there while you're down here?" It wasn't like Bridget to leave her daughter unattended.

"Crying."

Uh-oh. "Why?"

"We saw Daddy today."

Oh no. This couldn't be good. "You stay here and watch Mickey while I go talk to Mommy." She didn't answer, just stared at the tv screen. Soda messed her hair a bit, and then went upstairs. He went down the hall and gently knocked on the door. "Bridget?" he said softly. She didn't answer. He opened it slowly and walked in, closing it behind him. He found her on the floor, face in her knees, hands over her head, crying. He walked over and sank down beside her. He took her in his arms and she sobbed into his shirt. He rubbed her back soothingly and whispered sympathetic words in her ear.

"I take it he didn't take the news well," he said.

She shook her head, sadly. "I shouldn't have come here. It was a huge mistake."

"Don't say that. We're all happy you're here. We couldn't imagine you not being here now."

"Not everyone's happy. Tim hates me. He doesn't want me here. He doesn't even believe Melody's his."

"He will in time. It's just a shock to him. He needs time to think about it. You know how Tim is, stubborn and hard-headed. He thinks everything through. He can't just accept what's in front of him."

She just shook her head. "We're leaving and going back to my dad's. I can't stay her knowing Tim can't stand the thought of me. He's one of the major reasons I came back. You know that."

"Bridget, you can't just leave again. We're all used to you being back. We're close to Melody. You can't just take off."

"We're leaving on the next train back to California. Y'all should come visit us sometime. That way we all won't be missing each other like crazy again."

"Bridget, c'mon." She held her hand up to silence him.

"I really gotta get some of this packed. Can you watch Melody until I'm done?"

"S-sure," he said. He got up and left the room. He couldn't believe she was just going to leave again! Especially after just coming back!

He was frustrated as he made his way down the stairs. He found Melody still watching Mickey. How long was that show on for?

"C'mon sweetie, let's go to Uncle Darry's." He lifted her up and they headed out.

------------

"What?!" Two-Bit said.

"She can't just leave like that!" Steve said.

"I know. That's what I told her," Soda replied.

"Wait till I get my hands on that fuckin' son-of-a-bitch. Fuckin' bastard's gonna be sorry he ever screwed with her."

"Now, Dal, don't do anything drastic. If she wants to go, we can't stop her," Darry said. Leave it to him to remain the logical one in a situation like this.

"But we can damn well try," Two-Bit said.

"Darry's right," Pony said. "She came here for Tim as well, and if she doesn't have him, she thinks she might as well not be here."

"She has us! She doesn't need that bastard!" the older Matthews replied.

"She loves him. She's not gonna wanna stick around when she could run into him at any minute, knowing he doesn't love her."

"We gotta try and do something. I can't let her go again."

"We know, Two-Bit. We know," Darry said, clapping a hand down on his shoulder.

---------

Dallas burst through the front door of Soda's house and rushed up the stairs to Bridget's room. "Dallas, what're you doing?" she asked as he barged into her room. He looked around her room. Boxes and bags were lying around. She was actually leaving.

"I'm coming with you."

"What're you talking about?"

"I'm coming with you to California."

"Dal, you can't-"

"I can. I'm not lettin' you go back again. You're not leaving me that easily this time."

A distressing look came over her face. "Dal, I never meant-"

"Yeah, I know. You never meant to leave us before. But the thing is you did. And we didn't get in contact with you until you were gone for a few months. I'm not lettin' you do that again."

"Dallas, listen. I'm doing this for me. I can't stay here if Tim doesn't-"

"Tim?! Who fuckin' cares about Shepard?! You should know him just as good as me! He's a jackass! What the hell does your leaving have to do with him?!"

"You…you don't understand."

"Then please explain it me! I'm really tryin' here, Bridget!"

"I love him, alright! I am still absolutely in love with Tim!"

His face dropped. "Dal, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't apologize. This doesn't change anything. I'm still going with you."

She averted her eyes from his. "We leave at the end of next week."

"I'll be here."

She gave a slight nod of her head and went back to organizing things. He watched her for a little before leaving to go and kick some ass.

------------

Dallas finally found him at the Dingo, surrounded by his boys. He walked right over to him and landed a right hook to his jaw. His boys started getting rowdy and trying to pull Dallas away. He held his hand up to hold them off.

"What the hell are you doing, Winston?" Dal answered with another fist to the jaw.

"She's fuckin' leaving because of you!" He swung his fist again. This time Tim blocked him.

"Who?" he yelled back.

"Bridget! She's fuckin' leaving because you don't fuckin' care about her!"

"What do you expect, man? She comes back after three years and thinks everything will go back to the way it was? Life ain't like that!"

"She's going back to California 'cause she can't stand to be in the same place as you when you don't feel the same about her!"

When they were both out of breath and stopped swinging, Dal stepped back, wiping at the blood on his lip. He pointed at Tim and said, "I don't ever wanna catch you near her again. Stay the hell away from her and Melody and anyone else that'll know how she's doing."

He held Tim's gaze a moment longer. Then he turned away and headed home, making a list in his head of things to pack.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys. I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update. I apologize. I hope you enjoy this one though. Read&review please.**

Chapter 8

Bridget felt a sense of déjà vu as she watched out the window. There she was on a train, heading to California and her dad, leaving Tulsa and her loved ones behind, just like she did four years ago. But unlike four years ago, she had a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Dallas, and Tim's hatred. Just thinking about that last one brought tears to her eyes. She played with the silver heart dangling from a chain around her neck. The necklace from Tim. She hadn't taken it off since she unpacked it when she first arrived at her father's house. She wished Tim would've seen it and known that her love for him was still going strong, but he either didn't see it or he overlooked it. Either way, it broke her heart.

She wiped her tears away. She couldn't let Dallas or Melody see her crying. Dal would be furious about the cause of her tears, while Melody always seemed to reflect her mother's emotions. Bridget hated to disappoint Dallas and she hated to see anything but a smile on her daughter's face.

She turned away from the window and looked at the two people traveling with her. They were both asleep. Melody was curled up in Dallas's arms and he was resting his head on top of hers. She smiled at the sight. It was just so amusing seeing how much he cared for Melly. He wasn't exactly a kid person. Bridget recalled him bullying and chasing kids away from wherever he pleased. Now she had to contain her laughter at how much he'd changed.

She was happy he'd forced her to allow him to return to California with them. Another familiar face would make her more comfortable at the place she'd called home since she was seventeen. She'd feel even better if she had the rest of the gang with her—and Lord knows they wanted to go with her—but she couldn't allow them to give up their lives in Tulsa. Pony was in the middle of his senior year; he couldn't just leave. And everyone knows the Curtis brothers stick together. Two-Bit had to stay with their mother; they couldn't just leave her alone. And Steve…well his loyalty remained with Soda. Only one left was Greg and he was sticking around Tulsa to wait for Bella and Maria. Dallas was the only one without those connections. So here he was staying by her side, like any good friend would do. But Bridget knew that it was more than just friendly feelings that he was acting on.

Looking back out the window, she saw the scenery passing by more slowly. They'd reached their destination. She leaned over and brushed her fingertips against Dallas's cheek. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled as he saw who it was. "Hey beautiful," he said.

"Hey cowboy. We're there," she said quietly so as not to wake a still sleeping Melody.

The train came to a stop and Bridget started gathering their things. Dal stood up, shifting Melly to one arm and taking a few of their bags in the other. Bridget took the rest of their things and they climbed off the train. They looked for a taxi but there wasn't one around that wasn't being used. They reached a payphone and she called a taxi service.

They found an unoccupied bench and sat down to wait. "Oh, it's so nice when families travel together," an elderly woman said, sitting down on the bench across from them. "Where are you coming from?"

"Tulsa, Oklahoma. We have family out there," Bridget answered.

The woman smiled. "You're daughter's beautiful. How old is she?" she asked Dal.

"Oh, she's not-"

"She'll be four in March," Bridget said, cutting off Dal's response. He looked over at her, but didn't say anything. Just ten the taxi pulled up to the curb. "There's our cab. It's been nice talking with you," Bridget said.

"Same goes for you."

Bridget smiled at her and she, Dal, and Melly went to the taxi and climbed in.

"Why'd you say she was mine?" Dal asked once the car started moving.

"I didn't."

"Well, you didn't correct her."

"Did you really want to get into everything that's happened over the past four years with a stranger?"

That shut him up and he turned to look out the window. She sighed and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. It'd been a long day. Hell, it'd been a long two weeks. She felt exhausted and overwhelmed.

She must have fallen sleep because she felt Dallas shaking her awake. The cab had come to a stop, and, when she looked out the window, she saw her house. They climbed out, gathered their things, and she paid the driver.

"_This_ is your _house_?" Dallas said in awe.

Bridget laughed. "That's exactly the same reaction I had when I first saw it." She leaned over and whispered into Melody's ear, "Honey, we're home."

Melody lifted her head off of Dal's shoulder and rubbed at her eyes. Her mother smiled and kissed the top of her head. "C'mon," Bee said. Dallas followed her as she unlocked the front door and entered the foyer.

High heels could be heard coming closer. "Honey, I wasn't expecting you for a couple more hou-" The voice and clacking stopped when she saw the three. "Bridget."

"Hey Susan."

"Grammy!" Melody yelled. Dallas put her down and the little girl ran over to her grandmother.

"Hey there, sweetie. How was your trip?" Susan said, crouching down to hug her.

"It was gweat! I saw Uncle, and Uncle Soda, and Uncle Pony!" she answered excitedly.

"Well, that's great, hun." Susan stood up and eyed Dallas cautiously. "Who are you?" she asked in a not-so-friendly tone.

"Oh, sorry. Susan, this is Dallas. Dal, this is my stepmom, Susan."

"Nice to meet you," Dal said.

Susan didn't answer. Just stood there taking in the sight of him with a look of disgust. And Bee guessed she could see where Susan was coming from. Here he was in a white t-shirt, his brown leather jacket, his boots, and a pair of jeans that were tighter than Susan was used to seeing. His hair was long and shaggy, hanging in his face, and he was looking a little scruffy. He definitely did not fit in with the rest of the house and its inhabitants.

"How did you two meet?" Susan asked in a tone that told Bridget that she didn't approve of this _man_ in her household.

"We've known each other since we were kids. He lived right down the street from us."

"So how long are you staying?" she asked Dal.

"However long Bee is."

It was clear to them all that Susan was not happy with that answer. Bridget decided that things needed to be broken up before Susan said something Bridget knew she wouldn't regret. "Me and Dal are gonna go bring our things upstairs and unpack. Melly, why don't you catch Grammy up on all that she missed while we were visiting Uncle and Nana?"

Melly smiled and looked up at Susan who said, "The guest room isn't really ready for use. You might want to set it up."

"That's all right. Dal will be staying in my room." She could tell Susan disapproved but she didn't care. She turned and led Dallas through the labyrinth that made up their hallways. When they were safely in her room, Dal threw his bags down and took off his jacket. "Well she don't like me."

"She'll come around. The one ya really gotta worry about is Travis. He can be an ass when he wants to be, which is like 24/7."

He plopped down on the bed, head on the pillows. "Whatever possessed me to come here with you?"

"I've been asking myself the same question about you since you stomped into Soda's like a madman," she teased. "Only joking. It's because you love me and didn't want me pulling another disappearing act," she said, crawling into the bed next to him and laying in the crook of his arm. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. He started playing with a strand of her hair as they lay in silence.

"Dal?" she said quietly.

"Hm?"

"What's Tim really been like since I left?"

"Bee, let's not talk about this."

"Please Dally?"

He sighed but gave in. He never could deny her what she wanted. "He wasn't good. The first few months he was always moping around the Curtises, waiting for any word from you. He was really depressed and was always at Buck's or any where else that had alcohol. And then when we got that letter from you, he just broke down. We got into it because of everything you wrote to me. He told me everything that happened between the two of you that last day." He couldn't see her reaction but he heard her inhale deeply.

"After that, he didn't show up as often as he used to. He was robbing places and fighting with everyone. The cops were involved more often than not. He stopped going home. Curly was worried and Angela was in hysterics. They missed him. He'd disappear for days at a time." Now Dally could tell this was affecting her. He felt the tears soaking through his sleeve.

"Were there…did he have a lot of girls?"

"Not at the beginning. He couldn't think of anyone but you. No matter what girl came onto him, the only face he saw was yours. That phone call…he didn't really have a date. He was just trying to hurt you. Believe me, I got him back for ya. And recently, I'm not really sure about his girl percentage. He might have a few, he might not. Like I said before, he's not really around much."

"Was he serious with any of them?"

"Bridget, stop torturing yourself."

"Dallas…" she said pleadingly.

Again, he sighed. "Yeah, there was one or two. But they got fed up with him after a while. He was becoming a drunk, just like his old man. The girls didn't like it, they left. He drank more."

They were both quiet for a while before she spoke. "You know, I've never loved anyone else since him. I've tried. I can't. I've never taken off the necklace he gave me months before I left, except when I broke up with him. I couldn't stand to wear it when I was telling him I didn't love him any more." She paused. "Soda told me that Tim thought I'd finally figured out that I was too good for him, that he didn't deserve me. But that wasn't true at all. If anything, it's the other way around." Now she was in full on tears.

"Shh," Dal said. "No more. Tim's an idiot. You've been doing just fine. You got a beautiful daughter and family and friends who love you and would do anything for you. We love you. That's all that matters."

"But…"

"No, no buts." He ran his fingers through her hair and placed another kiss on the top of her head. "Rest, it's been a long day. Close your eyes." She did as she was told and tried to control her tears. She listened to Dallas whispering comforting things in her ear. His voice was so calm and easy to listen to. She buried her face into his chest and just listened.

------------

A few hours later, there was a knock at the door. Neither moved. Bridget was still sleeping and Dallas didn't want to get up for fear of waking her. She needed to sleep. According to Soda and Greg, she hadn't been sleeping well after her run-in with Shepard.

The door opened and revealed Susan. "Bridget?"

"She's sleeping," Dal said quietly.

"How long has she been out?"

"A couple hours."

"I think that's long enough."

"She needs her rest. She's stressed and overwhelmed. It's not good for her."

Susan didn't argue. "Dinner's ready and her father's home."

"We'll be down soon," Dal said with a tone of finality. She didn't protest, just turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Dal lay there, deciding what to do. He didn't want to wake her, but she needed to eat. Also, according to Soda and Greg, she hadn't been eating much either. He sighed. He knew he had to get food into her stomach.

"Bridget," he whispered into her ear. She moved but didn't open her eyes. "C'mon Bee. Dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry."

"Oh yes you are. I've been hearing your stomach growl for the past hour."

He was still breathing in her face. She batted her hand at him, trying to get him to leave her alone. She missed and sighed in frustration. "Go away. You smell."

He smirked. He was happy sleep had helped her mood. "So do you."

A low growl emanated from her throat. He couldn't help himself; he laughed. "Did you just growl at me?"

"Yes, I did. Now leave me alone."

"No way in hell. I'm gonna get you downstairs and get food into you even if I have to throw you over my shoulder to get you down there and have to shove it down your throat to get you to eat."

"Jeez, Dal, always the dramatics," she said opening her eyes.

"Aren't you in a pleasant mood."

She glared at him and slowly sat up. "Prepare yourself," she told him, "for incessant flirting and nonstop questions."

"Oh man, I hope Travis knows I only like girls. You should tell him so he doesn't waste his material." She swung her hand at Dal and missed again. She let out another frustrated sigh and left the room with Dallas right behind her.

When they entered the dining room, they had five pairs of eyes on them. Only three of them with the hint of a smile. Charles stood up and made his way over to them. "Dallas," he said with a grin on his face.

"Hey Charlie. How'd ya guess?" Dal answered returning the smile.

"Who else has blond hair like that?" he teased. "It's good to see you again. It's been too long. Please sit." Charlie made his way back to his seat and Dallas and Bridget took their places to Melody's left. "How've you been? How's Tulsa?"

"I've been pretty good. Been keeping busy, hanging with the gang. And Tulsa's Tulsa. It hasn't changed a bit."

"I'm sorry, but did you say gang?" Susan asked, even more eager to be rid of him than before.

"Yeah. It's not really a gang. Just a group of friends. There's the Curtises, Steve, Two-Bit, me, and Bridget."

"And me?" Melody said.

Dal laughed. "Yeah, you too." A large grin appeared on her face.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat and Charlie looked at his stepdaughter. "I'm sorry, where are my manners?" he said. "Dal, I'd like you to meet my family. You've already met Susan. That's Sarah and that's Travis."

Dallas barely managed to say 'hi' before Travis bombarded him with questions. "How long have you two known each other?"

"Since we were kids."

"What's your full name?"

"Dallas Winston."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"Girlfriend?"

"No."

"Any kids?"

"Not that I know of."

"You party?"

"On occasion."

"Ever been arrested?"

"Multiple times."

"Fights?"

"Plenty."

"Robbery?"

"In the past."

"Leather jacket?"

"Upstairs."

"So, basically, you're a hood," Travis said, more of a statement than a question.

"I s'pose you could say that."

"You two are just friends, huh?"

"Yup."

"You two ever date?"

"A couple years back."

"Did you have sex?"

"Travis, that's enough!" Bridget said angrily.

"What? It's a reasonable question. I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't want to wake up to moa-"

"Travis," Charlie said threateningly.

"Okay, I'm done. I'm fully. I'm heading out with Luke and Josh. Be home late," he said, standing up and walking out.

"I'm so sorry," Bridget said not looking at Dal. He looked at her and saw that her cheeks were pink.

"No problem. You warned me, right?" he said quietly to her. She looked up at him, her smile and cheeks showing her embarrassment.

"I have to apologize for my son," Susan said. "He's not very good with strangers."

"It's alright. I've taken worse."

She nodded and went back to eating. Sarah, however, didn't stop staring.

"So you were really in jail?" she asked, her eyes dancing.

"Yeah."

"What's it like?"

"Worst place you'll ever wanna be."

"So, you said no girlfriend?"

"That's right."

"Have you had a lot of girls?"

He looked at Bridget. He really didn't want to answer that. "I think me and Dal are gonna take Mel and go upstairs," Bridget said, trying to save him from answering.

"No, _we're _not," Dal said right back. "You are gonna sit here and eat everything on your plate."

"But Dal…"

"Eat. We'll wait." She glared at him. "Hey, remember what I told you upstairs." She continued to glare at him, but she raised her fork and took a bite.

Charlie watched this little exchange go on and smiled. It seemed like the more-than-friendly feelings hadn't fully gone away. They were definitely acting like a couple. Of course, Charlie hadn't seen the two around one another since they were kids so he didn't really know how they acted together. But it still seemed like somewhat romantic feelings. Charlie didn't mind. He liked Dallas. He was a good kid. Always getting into trouble, but still a good kid.

"Mommy. What time is it?" Melody asked, interrupting her mother's eating.

Bridget glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "Seven."

"Mickey on!" she said excitedly.

Bridget smiled. "Okay, c'mon. I'll go put it-"

"No," Dal interrupted. "I'll go put it on if you'll just point me in the right direction."

"Melody knows the way." He nodded.

"Charlie, make sure she eats everything," Dal said.

"Will do." Melody took Dal's hand and pulled him out of the dining room. "Mickey? Keith, I presume," Charlie said to his daughter.

She swallowed her food before answering. "Yup. He's still addicted. He decided to 'introduce' her to Mickey and, ever since, she's turned into a mini version of Two-Bit."

Charlie laughed. "Your brother's never going to grow up, is he?"

"Nope, but that's what's great about him." She put her fork down and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Now if you'll excuse me," she said, making a move to get up.

"I don't think so, missy. Sit your butt down and finish."

"But Dad"

"I told Dallas you wouldn't leave until your plate was empty."

"Charlie…" she whined.

"Sit." It took her a moment, but she sat down mumbling to herself. Probably cursing us all, Charlie thought. "So how is Keith?"

"He's good. Him and Kathy are pretty serious. If I would've stayed longer, I think I could've gotten him to propose."

"That's exactly what she wants. To be married to a big kid," he joked.

"She loves him. Don't know why, but she does."

"How's your mother?"

"Working hard as always. She needs a vacation."

"How'd they react to you and Melody's appearances?"

"Well, Two-Bit was furious at first but he came around. Mom was mad that I'd told someone about Mel, but overall she was happy to see us."

She took another bite of food as he asked, "How come you came back so soon?"

Bridget looked down at her plate. "Tim didn't take it so well. He's moved on. He didn't' think Melody was his," she said sadly.

Charlie could see how much it upset her so he tried to change the subject. He asked how Angela and Curly, the Curtises, and Steve were doing, and, by the end, she was smiling again.

She finally finished her food and held up her plate for inspection. "Now may I go?" she said.

"Go ahead. Dal never said anything about after you ate."

"Good thing." She rose from hr place and went into the family room to watch Mickey Mouse with Dallas and Melody.

------------

Later that night, when everyone else was in bed, Susan and Charlie were just getting ready for the night. "I don't like it," Susan said.

"Don't like what?"

"Him staying here."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's a criminal! He could be dangerous!"

Charlie laughed, apologizing when he saw the look on her face. "Dallas isn't dangerous. Sure, he's a little rough around the edges, but he wouldn't hurt any of us." She still looked uncertain. "I'm positive. He's safe to be around."

"Fine, but at least take him shopping. Imagine what the neighbors would think if they saw him dressed like that."

"I imagine the women would be fanning themselves, thinking the temperature had risen."

"Charles, be serious."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't care what the neighbors think. He's Bridget's friend and Melody adores him. What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," she said sharply. "But do something."

He didn't answer her. Just climbed into bed, turned out the bedside lamp, and said, "Goodnight Susan."

--------------

Together, Dallas and Bridget had gotten Melody ready for bed and tucked her in. Now they were in Bridget's room doing the same to themselves. Bridget was in the bathroom brushing her teeth, while Dallas was in the bedroom, stripping down to his boxers and pulling on a pair of sweatpants. He ran his hand through his hair and climbed into bed. He looked towards the bathroom and saw her brushing her hair. "Aw, babe, you don't gotta make yourself pretty just for me," he called to her.

She walked out, throwing her hair into a ponytail, and smiled. "Now what would make you think I was doing that?"

"I saw you fixing your hair and making yourself smell nice."

"Oh please. You're not worth the effort. There are reasons for my ways. My hair will be unmanageable if I don't brush it and the good-smelling lotion would be to keep my skin smooth," she said, turning off the light and sliding under the covers next to him.

"Oh, it's smooth alright," he said, pulling her to him and running his fingers up her arm. She shivered. He smirked.

"So Dallas Winston, I do believe you got yourself a new crush."

"Oh great. It's not even worth the risk if I don't gotta work for it."

She laughed. "Oh well, she's already head-over-heels for you. You can't really do nothing about it."

"Well, I think you should come up with a way to make her stop."

She was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. "I know!" she said. "You should kiss her and once she sees how horrible of a kisser you are, she'll move on."

"Ha ha," he said, pushing her off of him and to the other side of the bed.

"Aw, c'mon Dal. I was only joking. It's quite the drop in temperature over here."

"Not so funny now, is it?"

"Actually, it still is, but I apologize. You're a great kisser. The things you do with your mouth…woo! It makes me hot just thinking about it," she joked.

"Alright, enough," he said, pulling her back to his body. He could feel her body shake with laughter. He shook his head and kissed the top of her head once she'd quieted down. "Go to sleep."

"I don't know if I can. Whenever I close my eyes, all I can picture are your big, sloppy, dog kisses." That started up the laughter once more.

"Good night Bridget," he said in a tone which told her that he was going to ignore anything else she said.

"Good night, Dally," she said quietly a few minutes later. She snuggled closer to him and drifted off to sleep.


	9. I'm Sorry

Hey guys, sorry for not updating and sorry again for this lack of update. It's not even that I've been busy. It's just been because I'm a total slacker. Well, now I'm busy. Tomorrow is the last day of my three day end-of-term history test. My teacher feels the need to emulate the AP exam in order to prepare us for when the time comes. (To tell you the truth, I doubt I'll be ready anyways.) And I've just realized that I desperately need to work on my English research paper. I need four pages by next Monday and I have yet to start it. I don't even have the books. Like I said before, I'm a total slacker. And I won't have time to write at all come this weekend because prom is Friday. I know, it's wayyyy too early for prom, but, what can I say, I didn't choose the date. And then next week, I'm going to a concert on the 8th. So I have no time.

So I completely apologize for all my complaining and excuses, but I'm hoping to have updated at least one of my stories by possibly the 13th, so please forgive me. I appreciate all of you reading my story. Thank you. I know I shouldn't even dare ask, but be patient for only a while longer and I promise the wait will be worth it.

Thanks again.


	10. Chapter 10

**OMG OMG OMG! I'M UPDATING!! I'm so sorry that it's taken me more than 4 months to update. I apologize. I'm truly sorry. I hope you forgive me. So here is chapter 9. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think. I don't know when I'll be updating next. This was a spur of the moment thing. Last night I was looking at reviews and the inspiration fairy decided to visit. So I hope this holds you over until she visits again.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Bridget, Melody, and Charlie**

Chapter 9

"Where you goin'?" Tim asked Angela as she made her way to the door. Her outfit was pretty mild for her going out. Just a pair of capris and a t-shirt.

"Soda's. I'm gonna go see if Bridget wants to do something today." Tim froze. His little sister was going to see his ex-girlfriend. She couldn't do that, could she? He tried to act casual about it when he asked, "What're you planning to do?"

"I don't know. Maybe hit the Dingo or the movies. Or maybe we could take her little girl to the park." He flinched at the mention of Bridget's daughter. He couldn't believe his beautiful, caring, fun-loving (okay that had to stop) ex-girlfriend had a kid. He didn't think she'd be the kind of girl to get knocked up at a young age.

"Well, don't stay out too long. We got things to do tonight."

"What things?"

"Just things." Yeah, things that consisted of keeping his sister away from his ex. "Be back soon."

"Yeah, yeah," she said, dismissing his words with a wave of her hand. "I'll be back when I'm back."

"Angela!" he said, but she was already out the door. He sighed and sank down on to the couch. He rested his elbows on his knees and placed his head in his hands, closing his eyes. He couldn't believe his sister was going to get close to his ex. There had to be some rule against that in the sibling handbook. Aren't sisters and brothers supposed to be on your side no matter what? Curly would be on his side on this; he wouldn't disappoint him.

He was only on the couch for about twenty minutes when Angela came bursting back into the house. "She's gone!"

"What?"

"I went to Soda's and some guy answered the door. His name's Greg. He's one of Bridget's friends." Tim felt himself get jealous at that. "When I asked if she was there, he said she went back to California. I asked why. And guess what he said." She paused. "What, no guess? Well, he said that she went back because her jackass of an ex-boyfriend—that means you—didn't believe her when she said she loved him and that Melody was his. What the hell were you thinking Tim? Of course that girl is yours! She looks exactly like you! She's got the Shepard's hair and eyes! It sure ain't Curly she was sleeping with! I can't believe you upset her so much that she had to go back to her dad's just to get away from you!" She screamed. Tim tried to block his ears. She was pissed. He understood. Hell, he was pissed at himself. He thought that it was just a rumor that she was going back. When Dallas told him she was leaving, he didn't believe him. Now, he should've thought better.

Tim started making his way to his room as Angela continued yelling. He slammed his bedroom door to make sure she knew he was done listening. He needed time to think. He didn't need her yelling at him. He already felt like an idiot. Her yelling only made it worse.

He lay back on his bed, resting his head on his arms, with his eyes closed. And he thought. Thought about Bridget. He was still irrevocably in love with her. He knew it, Curly knew it, everyone at Buck's surely knew it. And he knew Bridget still loved him. He saw the heart hanging around her neck. He knew there would be no way that she'd wear it if she didn't.

He'd just been too full of emotion when he saw her in the park that day. Shocked, angry, happy, nervous, scared. He was feeling such a plethora of emotion that he couldn't express the one he wanted: Love. He was too surprised; he felt as though he was seeing a ghost or seeing a scene from the future they could've shared if she hadn't left.

Tim also knew that that little girl—Melody—was his. Angela was right. Melody couldn't have gotten her looks from anywhere else. She was definitely a Shepard. Tim wished he would've acted kinder and more accepting the first time he'd seen his daughter. Instead, he'd acted like an idiot and drove away the only girl he'd ever loved along with their child.

It was still hard to believe. Daughter. Tim Shepard had a little girl. Never thought he'd see the day that he'd actually have a family.

Since that day in the park, seeing Bridget pushing Melody on the swing, he'd had dreams about how he could've done things differently, how things would've gone if he would've been able to talk civilly with her.

Instead of arguing, he would've pressed his lips to hers as soon as he realized it was her. They would've had quite the reunion. He would've gotten to know Melody. A year later, Bridget would've been pregnant with his child again, only he'd be around this time. He'd smile widely at seeing her round with motherhood. He'd be with her through all the cravings and mood swings and kicks. He'd be in the delivery room with her as the doctor brought their second child into the world. He'd be there through the first crawl, first steps, first bath, first word. He wouldn't miss a thing. He'd marry Bridget and they'd have a few more kids because he'd love seeing her swollen with his child. And if it didn't happen…Hell, they'd have fun trying. His life would finally be complete.

Since the day she'd left, he'd felt empty. There was a void that was no longer filled. It was right where his heart should've been. He couldn't fix it. Bridget had taken it with her. No matter what he tried—booze, broads, fights—the hold was still empty. It had been temporarily filled when they met in the park. But once she was out of sight, the hold returned.

Tim knew there was only one way to fix it and he was going to do everything in his power to reach that goal.

He knew his happiness was only a train ride away.

--

Charlie was home alone, sitting in the living room working. Well, not exactly alone. Bridget was upstairs playing her guitar while he was working on a defense position for an upcoming case. He could hear the music coming from his daughter's bedroom as he worked. It had been a while since he'd heard her play. It was nice to hear it again.

The door bell interrupted his listening. He hastened to the door. He was expecting an important file for his case, so it was a surprise when the delivery boy was not on the other side of the door.

"Tim," Charlie said surprised.

"Hey Charlie," Tim said cautiously.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…uh…I came to see Bridget," he said, suddenly unsure of himself.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. You really hurt her, Tim. She's been here pining for you for three years and, when she finally gets to see you, you break her heart. How do I know you won't do that again if I let you go up there?"

"I love her so much. She hurt me too, when she left. When I saw her in Tulsa, I was just so shocked that I couldn't even think straight. I knew that I had to make things right."

Charlie was silent for a moment. He shook his head as he spoke his next words. "You're lucky Dallas isn't here. He'd want to beat your head in. And I don't blame him. You have everything he could ever want. The girl that he wants loves you and only you. You have the daughter that he's grown so fond of. You'll have the family he's always wanted."

"I know what Dallas wants, and, truly, I'm sorry that I can't stay away from your daughter. He's my best friend and I know he loves her. If I could, I'd leave right now and let Dallas work his magic. But I love Bridget and I know she loves me. And I'm not leaving until she tells me she doesn't want me around."

Charlie sighed. "Upstairs, down the hall, last door on the right."

"Thanks Charlie."

Tim walked past him and made his way to the stairs. The music grew louder as he got closer to Bridget's room. The door was open. He leaned against the door frame and watched as she concentrated. She'd play a few chords and then stop to write something down in her notebook. She looked so beautiful sitting on her bed in oversized clothes and her hair a mess. Tim could feel the hole in his heart being filled again.

After a few minutes of watching her close her eyes and play her guitar and then stop to write things down while biting her lip, he knocked on the door. She looked up and her eyes grew wide. "What are you doing here?"

"Your dad really likes to hear you play. You should do it more often. I must admit that I've missed hearing that."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I came to see you."

"Why?"

He walked over and sat down on her bed. She watched his every movement. She glanced over every part of him, committing everything to memory. "I love you, Bridget. I can't stand to live without you any longer. I'm sorry for the way I acted in the park, but I was just so surprised. And then Melody appeared. I can only handle so much at once. That pushed me to the edge. I never meant to make you cry and I certainly didn't want you to leave Tulsa. I needed time to let everything sink in, and, once that happened, I would've been knocking down Soda's door to get to you. I want you so much Bee."

She was crying by the time she finished talking. She threw herself into his arms and hid her face in the crook of his neck. "I love you, too. I missed you so much. Living without you was torture."

He pulled away and took her face in his hands. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs and pressed his lips to hers. "I missed you, too. It felt like there was a hole where my heart should've been. You're the only one that can fill it."

She laughed through her tears and pressed her lips to his again. Their kisses became slow and passionate. They heard the slamming of a door downstairs but they didn't stop. They were together, in the same room, acting civil towards one another, for the first time in three years. Nothing could interrupt them at that moment. They only broke apart from their kiss to remove their shirts. Their lips returned to one another immediately. The rest of their clothes were taken off slowly and sensually, with no rush to get the other's clothes off. They were relishing in the time they had together.

They made love for hours, pouring their hearts into every movement they made. It wasn't like the other times they had spent together. This was more passionate and soulful. He whispered "I love you" into her ear, while tears of happiness silently streamed down her face. He kissed each and every one of them away. They gradually built up all the sexual tension in their bodies and climaxed as one.

When they regained control of their breathing, they broke apart and Bridget rested her head on Tim's chest. He pushed her damp hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. She pressed a loving kiss to his chest. "I missed this, lying in bed with you in my arms. My bed felt awfully empty without you."

Bee laughed. "Well, I was awfully cold without you pressed against me in the middle of the night." He smiled and pressed another kiss to the top of her head. "You're here for good, right? You're not leaving me?"

"I'm here as long as you want me. I'm never going to be away from you as long as you don't push me away."

"Good. You're never leaving again. I love you so much."

"I love you too." She looked up at him and smiled, before pressing her lips to his. She lay her head back down on his chest, and they lay in bed, enjoying one another's company in the afterglow of their love making.


End file.
